Post by Free Agent Fan on Feb 1, 2007 16:05:50 GMT -5
GENE PHELPS: Pro sports don't usually 'pack the house' in Tupelo
2/1/2007 12:32:23 AM
It will be 10 years ago this June that professional indoor soccer made its debut at the BancorpSouth Arena, then known as the Tupelo Coliseum.
The team's name, many of you will remember, was the Tupelo Hound Dogs, and they played in the now long-defunct Eastern Indoor Soccer League.
Opening night was ... well, something of a dud. An announced crowd of 1,713 curious folks attended the team's home opener against the Baton Rouge Bombers in the 6,800-seat arena.
The team's co-owner, Andy Warner, told me that night he was disappointed with the crowd, and noted "they needed to draw a lot more" for their remaining nine home games.
They were hoping for at least 3,000 in the seats.
But for the Dogs, unfortunately, opening night was as good as it got. The crowd numbers dipped steadily after the opener - 1,541 ... 1,126 ... 1,026 ... 870 ... 851 ... 736.
No packed house
With its attendance dropping, the franchise put together a pack-the-house promotion with discounted tickets. The final count for that Aug. 8, 1997 home game against the Tallahassee Scorpions was ... 808.
The Dogs, it seemed, couldn't draw fleas.
By the time the season came to a close, the Hound Dogs were shopping around for another market. By January, they fled to Pensacola, Fla.
That same summer, Tupelo's other professional sports venture, an independent minor league baseball team named the Tornado, didn't do any better at the gate. The crowds for their games totaled well under 1,000 per night.
Since that time, we've had the T-Rex hockey club and the FireAnts indoor football team. Both drew reasonably well, but nowhere near the owners' expectations.
Both are now extinct.
New fish in water
Northeast Mississippi's fifth pro venture - the Mississippi MudCats indoor football team - makes its home debut Saturday in the BancorpSouth Arena.
The "fish" folks are hoping ticket-buying public gives them a chance.
Too bad their schedule calls for four home Saturday games this month, the busiest of the sports year in these parts. Fans have a lot of choices, starting with Ole Miss and Mississippi State men's basketball.
And don't forget, February is division tournament and north state tournament time for high school basketball. These Hill Country hoops fans are loyal to their teams, especially in Aberdeen, Baldwyn, Calhoun City, Houston, Ingomar, Myrtle, Nettleton, New Albany and other places, where filled gyms are commonplace.
All MudCats coach Brian Brents is asking is that fans give his team "a shot."
He says, "Come see the product. We're going to have a great team. We want to keep you on the edge of your seat throughout the game."
What the MudCats need now is for somebody to be in those seats.
Gene Phelps (gene.phelps@djournal.com) is senior sports writer for the Daily Journal.
2/1/2007 12:32:23 AM
It will be 10 years ago this June that professional indoor soccer made its debut at the BancorpSouth Arena, then known as the Tupelo Coliseum.
The team's name, many of you will remember, was the Tupelo Hound Dogs, and they played in the now long-defunct Eastern Indoor Soccer League.
Opening night was ... well, something of a dud. An announced crowd of 1,713 curious folks attended the team's home opener against the Baton Rouge Bombers in the 6,800-seat arena.
The team's co-owner, Andy Warner, told me that night he was disappointed with the crowd, and noted "they needed to draw a lot more" for their remaining nine home games.
They were hoping for at least 3,000 in the seats.
But for the Dogs, unfortunately, opening night was as good as it got. The crowd numbers dipped steadily after the opener - 1,541 ... 1,126 ... 1,026 ... 870 ... 851 ... 736.
No packed house
With its attendance dropping, the franchise put together a pack-the-house promotion with discounted tickets. The final count for that Aug. 8, 1997 home game against the Tallahassee Scorpions was ... 808.
The Dogs, it seemed, couldn't draw fleas.
By the time the season came to a close, the Hound Dogs were shopping around for another market. By January, they fled to Pensacola, Fla.
That same summer, Tupelo's other professional sports venture, an independent minor league baseball team named the Tornado, didn't do any better at the gate. The crowds for their games totaled well under 1,000 per night.
Since that time, we've had the T-Rex hockey club and the FireAnts indoor football team. Both drew reasonably well, but nowhere near the owners' expectations.
Both are now extinct.
New fish in water
Northeast Mississippi's fifth pro venture - the Mississippi MudCats indoor football team - makes its home debut Saturday in the BancorpSouth Arena.
The "fish" folks are hoping ticket-buying public gives them a chance.
Too bad their schedule calls for four home Saturday games this month, the busiest of the sports year in these parts. Fans have a lot of choices, starting with Ole Miss and Mississippi State men's basketball.
And don't forget, February is division tournament and north state tournament time for high school basketball. These Hill Country hoops fans are loyal to their teams, especially in Aberdeen, Baldwyn, Calhoun City, Houston, Ingomar, Myrtle, Nettleton, New Albany and other places, where filled gyms are commonplace.
All MudCats coach Brian Brents is asking is that fans give his team "a shot."
He says, "Come see the product. We're going to have a great team. We want to keep you on the edge of your seat throughout the game."
What the MudCats need now is for somebody to be in those seats.
Gene Phelps (gene.phelps@djournal.com) is senior sports writer for the Daily Journal.
